Anyone else NOT baby their car? (cosmetically)

[Autocon]

I get my car hand washed at work once a month. Or more often if it gets really dirty or I want it too look super clean.

I dont baby it but I also dont thrash my car about as I hope it will look as good as possible for as long as possible. But I have dated a girl in the past who would wash her ugly as shit imprezza twice a week which I think is ridiculous. But to each there own I say as I know lots of car people wash there's every week.

To me its more about having fun driving. Then again I do LOVE the way my car looks too haha

[Str8Ghostin]

Originally Posted by Koa

gotta love when people post a thread seeking verification for their insecurities/passive aggressively digging on those who spend time on cosmetic detailing

Take care of it or not, it's your car.. good on ya for being a rugged badass and plowing through pothole-infested roads with 3 inches of salt and snow and e-braking it into parking stalls right next to the jackass durango that's parked so crooked that you know they're gunna door ding you on the way out

lols obviously you didn't actually read the post, I'm guessing you're one of those guys who's never competed at the track?

[Str8Ghostin]

And what's with some people thinking I don't wash my car? Between spring and fall I wash my car every 2-3 weeks roughly both exterior and interior. The whole point of the thread was about babying the extremely affordable mass production 200hp track ready vehicle we all own

Just wanted to see if there were others like me and it looks like there are a ton!

[NLS8520]

Originally Posted by Str8Ghostin

Now before you get the wrong idea, I don't mean you shouldn't take care of your vehicle, of course you should - especially as an enthusiast. And if people want to keep their car as mint as possible then of course they should it's their car and it makes them happy. I don't mean mechanically I mean cosmetically.

As for me, this car is my daily driver, commuter and track vehicle. I commute roughly 3 hours (160 km) Mon-Fri for work and do about 4 open days and 2-3 time attack events from Spring-Fall here in Ontario Canada. Using it this much results in the car getting very dirty very quickly, stone chips and scratches. Do I let this stuff bug me? Of course not, it's a 26,000$ purpose-built car and I view it as such.

My buddy has a BRZ and freaks out a the smallest imperfections, it looks like he's never comfortable driving the thing. Checks over every inch of the car every time he gets into/out of it, washes and waxes it every week, doesn't drive it in the winter, finds a small clear coat micro scratch and freaks out, had to get it opticoated, etc.

Now I'm not hating - can't bash anyone for taking care of their car to the fullest extent, it's a great thing and I wish I had the patience for it but I simply don't.

Anyone else like me? Sorry for wall of text!

Your buddy is what I like to call a "preserver" his enjoyment comes from the action of obsessing over the car and washing every week and it looking perfect, you are getting a different enjoyment for driving the piss out of it. Same enjoyment different ways to enjoy the same thing, neither is right or wrong.

[venturaII]

This is my daily driver. I live in New England, where it snows and a good 60% of the population came here from places without snow. In the winter I take it to Scrub-A-Dub and give it a $5 spray-off when the weather is warm enough and the roads aren't covered in so much crap that it'd be pointless to do. There's not much else I can do, because the roads up here are covered in salt from December until May. I do wax it once a year (I should do it twice...), and keep it pretty clean during the warm months, but that's about it for the outside. I keep the interior as clean as possible, vacuum it regularly, and keep it clutter-free, as I can't stand riding in a car that's filthy on the inside.

[Veloist]

Originally Posted by Str8Ghostin

And what's with some people thinking I don't wash my car? Between spring and fall I wash my car every 2-3 weeks roughly both exterior and interior. The whole point of the thread was about babying the extremely affordable mass production 200hp track ready vehicle we all own

Just wanted to see if there were others like me and it looks like there are a ton!

I'd be careful using the term "extremely affordable" because that's pretty subjective.

Sure it is quite affordable if it's your only car, or perhaps second. But when you have 5 other cars and are paying over $4500 a year for car insurance then what now?

Oh you know what's extremely affordable to me...a 1991 MR2 I picked up for $3800 with 86,000 miles that had been babied it's whole life & looks brand spankin new. How ironic...

[Lo]

Originally Posted by Teseo

Right now i dont give a shit, which part dont you understand

loll dont need to get up in a bunch. It was made clear in your first statement that NOW you don't give a shit. I was asking for before when you gave a shit. but forget about it. like i said, it's a joke and not important.

[Koa]

Originally Posted by Str8Ghostin

And what's with some people thinking I don't wash my car? Between spring and fall I wash my car every 2-3 weeks roughly both exterior and interior. The whole point of the thread was about babying the extremely affordable mass production 200hp track ready vehicle we all own

Just wanted to see if there were others like me and it looks like there are a ton!

If you throw out a baited thread like this, of course you'll attract the like

And what does "not competing at the track" have to do with anything? Like I'm some sort of second rate person had I never taken a vehicle to the track? Lol.

Sorry brother but news flash- life happens outside of your hobby. People use these cars for whatever gets their thrills- mine? I enjoy that it is NOT my track car currently and that I can "baby it". By baby I mean wash it every other week. My RA 5spd bugeye fills (filled- haven't tracked in a few seasons due to finishing up schooling and new career) that track role.

[Str8Ghostin]

Originally Posted by Koa

If you throw out a baited thread like this, of course you'll attract the like

And what does "not competing at the track" have to do with anything? Like I'm some sort of second rate person had I never taken a vehicle to the track? Lol.

Sorry brother but news flash- life happens outside of your hobby. People use these cars for whatever gets their thrills- mine? I enjoy that it is NOT my track car currently and that I can "baby it". By baby I mean wash it every other week. My RA 5spd bugeye fills (filled- haven't tracked in a few seasons due to finishing up schooling and new career) that track role.

[Str8Ghostin]

Originally Posted by Veloist

I'd be careful using the term "extremely affordable" because that's pretty subjective.

Sure it is quite affordable if it's your only car, or perhaps second. But when you have 5 other cars and are paying over $4500 a year for car insurance then what now?

Oh you know what's extremely affordable to me...a 1991 MR2 I picked up for $3800 with 86,000 miles that had been babied it's whole life & looks brand spankin new. How ironic...

Sweet!

[NOHOME]

Preach the word brother! Been three years and its not been washed once except when God herself decides to run her carwash.

Not being a slave to paint gives me a lot of hours of my life back and saves me a ton of $$$. The car is amortized at 10 years dealer to dead, so the cost is factored in as something I can afford. While this does sound wasteful, its nothing compared to say the depreciation that people eat when they buy a Jag or BMW or any other luxury car.

There is an interesting bent to my personality however, in that while I wont wash a car, I WILL spend years and many thousands of dollars restoring rusted out hulks into showcars. So I guess it balances out?

[_______]

Woot! Glad im not the only one that like this. I mean I'll definitely care about big ass scratches and dents but im not gonna freak out over rock chips and such. It seems like most of my car enthusiast friends are all about clear bras, coats and stuff and they hate on me and think that i dont care about my car. I do but its a car its bound to get some minor imperfections especially as a DD. I respect those that wanna take care of their car, you payed for it so you deserve to maintain however you want.

[CatDaddysBBQ]

I had to convince myself that I wouldn't obsess over it before I bought it. 18000 miles per year, 3-8 autoX days a year and Chicago winters mean it'll never be perfect. I take care of it, I wash it as often as I can and wax it 2-3 times a year. I don't eat in it. Otherwise, it's a non-exotic car, andi just do what I have to.

[Annahra]

Originally Posted by NOHOME

There is an interesting bent to my personality however, in that while I wont wash a car, I WILL spend years and many thousands of dollars restoring rusted out hulks into showcars. So I guess it balances out?

To me, it makes more sense to keep a nice car nice than to let a nice car get trashed and find a trashed car to restore.